Prayer event to focus on teen suicides

Megan Lea

Published 7:19 am, Thursday, March 1, 2012

Midlanders will gather Monday evening to pray for victims of the recent suicides and their families. The Bridge Church is hosting a come-and-go prayer event 7-9 p.m. at Midland Center. The event is focuses solely on prayer -- there will be no guest speakers or refreshments.

"We felt like this was something the Lord called us to do," organizer Ginny McLelland said. "Our desire is to begin and be a part of solving the problem, not just keep talking about the problem."

McLelland said she and her son, Keith, pastor of The Bridge, will open the event with prayers and then hope to step out of the way and let members of the community pray silently or at open microphones. McLelland hopes to have separate areas for teenagers and children to pray.

"Prayer is the only things that's going to change this," she said. "As far as we're concerned, cutting God out is the reason we are where we are."

With the event, McLelland hopes to reach out to the parents of suicide victims and troubled teenagers.

Her own brother committed suicide seven years ago after a rare brain disorder caused him to lose the ability to communicate.

"I think it's something a family never truly recovers from," she said. "They learn to walk in it and to become stronger because of it but it's a tearing thing."